Attendees learn ins and outs of becoming a model trail community
Bentonville, Arkansas, Feb. 1, 2019 — The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is pleased to host its third Trail Labs event in Bentonville, April 1–3, 2019. Trail Labs are in-depth workshops designed to catalyze the next generation of great places to ride mountain bikes. Attendees will learn what it takes to create a model trail community and return home with the knowledge and guidance for how to make more trails close to home happen in their towns.
Trail Labs are two-day intensive workshops during which IMBA staff, trail industry experts and local stakeholders lead participants through the recipe for a model community trail system: planning, design, building, activation, promotion and measuring success. Attendees will also get a firsthand look at components of an intentional and diverse mountain bike trails community.
IMBA has hosted two Trail Labs with 80 community members from 21 states, two countries and several national organizations. See what participants are learning at Trail Labs in this video.
Individuals best-suited to attend the workshops are land managers, community officials, recreation professionals and tourism/economic development staff. This program is not intended for IMBA chapter representatives, but chapter representatives are encouraged to invite their community’s stakeholders who can be influential in trail opportunities. In addition to helping attendees understand the benefits of trails and the experiences desired by mountain bikers, IMBA will provide the knowledge needed to get started making great trails happen locally and help identify the next steps needed to bring more trails to backyards across the country.
The cost to attend Trail Labs is $400, which includes all registration fees, breakfast and lunch, shuttles for field workshops and evening festivities. Space is limited to the first 40 registrants.
More information and registration can be found here: https://www.imba.com/event/trail-labs
Bentonville is the current host community for Trail Labs. Arkansas is home to three IMBA Ride Centers (including Bentonville) and five IMBA EPICS, with multiple Arkansas communities having embraced integrating mountain bike trail systems in ways that serve as models for locations nationwide. If you are a model trail community interested in becoming a Trail Labs host, contact IMBA Program Director Jessica Rockson for more information.
